Tag: kanglaonline

IMPHAL, June 2: With the motive to encourage economic empowerment among the women folk of Keirao assembly constituency, one of the few constituency left unaffected by the local self governing economic generation system `Self Help Group`™ (SHG), a one day Awareness Programme on Self Help Group for the assembly constituency was held today at the premises of the Langdum community hall.

All together names of 69 newly formed SHGs were submitted to the official of the Institute of Co-operative Management (ICM) during the awareness campaign.

Hundreds of women from different parts of the constituency took part in the awareness programme jointly organized by the NCUI-Women Co-operative Education project, ICM and Keirao Kendra Self Help Group Coordination Committee, formed by social worker and aspiring politician, MI Khan.

Delivering his speech the ICM chairman, Kh. Borkeshor Singh, maintained that there were about 5000 SHGs being distributed by the ICM under the micro finance pilot project funded by the NABARD. However even in the wake of the booming trend of SHGs in the state, Keirao, remained one of the few constituency unaffected by the trend, he said.

He also pointed out that the reason behind the failure was due to lack of awareness among the people and most importantly lack of guidance from a leader.

He revealed that there were times when the ICM officials could not find a competent authority to approach, adding that the forming of the Keirao Kendra Self Help Group Co-ordinating Committee will mark the beginning of economic empowerment in the constituency.

Borkeshor also assured that 100 SHG would be provided with the loan from the ICM along with a 9 months training course very shortly.

Former militant leader turned social worker, MI Khan, while addressing his chief guest speech, maintained that women plays a vital role in shaping up the society adding it is with the motive that he observed the need to empower women.

The boost in SHGs will emancipate the conditions of the women from doing odd jobs besides upgrading their knowledge of economic generation programme, MI Khan observed.

He claimed that respecting, developing and upholding women rights, is the key to build a society and a nation. And, asserted that the people especially has been deprived of the basic rights and assured to expedite the process of availing with the loans by July.

While giving a wake up call to leave behind all the misery and worry, he urged the gathering to move forward and work with unity, sincerity and conviction.

In the meantime time, the former militant leader also announced that a SHG will also soon be introduced for men folk including jobless youths at the earliest.

The programme was also attended by D.K Sagolsem Singh. chairman, Manipur Fruit Processing and Cold Storage Co-operative Soceity Limited, H. Suresh Singh, Pradhan, Chanam Sandrok, members of local clubs etc.

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IMPHAL, June 4: The commerce and industry minister, Y. Irabot Singh stated that the department of handloom and handicraft is likely to introduce modern mechanized system of production in order to meet the growing demand of handloom and handicraft products of the state all over the world.The minister who was attending an award distribution function of outstanding craftpersons and subsidies under the schemes of modernization of handicrafts and assistance to individual artisans held today at the Iboyaima Shumang Leela Shanglen also stated that despite huge demands of quality products of handloom and handicrafts products of the state, the massive global demand could not be met owing to the slow hand woven process.But the department is likely to introduce modern mechanized forms of production to assist the present demand for surplus production, said the minister adding the handloom and handicraft products of the state are in high demand all over the world and that handllom products of the state are regarded as No.1 in the country.Further speaking as the chief guest of the function, he also stated that lack of raw material in abundance is another factor which has is a hindrance to massive production of the handicrafts and handloom products, for which the minister has observed the need of coordination among the different related departments to overcome the bottleneck of getting raw materials, which could be beneficial to the state economy too, the minister added.Further touching upon the silk found in the state, the minister maintained that the state sericulture department, in collaboration with a Japanese firm had implemented various projects in the state to develop the silk production in the state, however due to the law and order situation in the state, the Japanese firm had to leave the project mid-way.He further added that recognizing the importance and quality of the Manipuri silk, the government of India under the Special Plan Assistant (SPA) fund has earmarked a sum of Rs. 61.11 crores to develop the sericulture project including the new variety of silk.He also added that the kind of silk which is golden in colour and which is in high demand around the world is found in the state. However he also added that both the golden colour silk and the local simple silk are both in high demand globally. The minister further added that the government is planning to established a silkyard at Loitang khunou.Sukumar Haobam a senior design consultant, while speaking as guest of honour stressed the need to encourage self employment programme among unemployed youths in the absence of employment opportunities.Further S Birendra Singh, functional manager, Handicrafs, commerce and Industry deft, stated that once a craftsman wins state award, he/she is eligible to implement the scheme of Guru Sishya parampara under office of the dv. Com (H) govt of India.He also stated that As many as 188 numbers of outstanding Crafts persons have won the state Awards in the state while 17 crafts-persons could get the National Awards and 13 Crafts-persons got National Merit Awards till date.The state awards have been implemented in the state since 1979-80, in order to promote and push the morals of the Craftspersons.During the function 10 artisans were awarded as outstanding artisans of 2009-10 while another 10 artisans were awarded as outstanding artisans of 2010-11. the award for the 2009-10 carried a citation and Rs 10,000 each while that of the 2010-11 carried as citation and a sum of Rs. 15, 000 each.

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By Khuraijam Jibankumar Singh, FLS Founder and Managing Trustee,North East Centre for Environmental Education and Research, ImphalEvery year colleges in different Universities across the country are increasing their cut off marks for admission to under graduate courses. Students of states like ours are facing difficulty in getting admissions in good colleges like St. Stephen College, Sri Ram College of Commerce due to low aggregate in their marks in Board Exams. Only a few get admissions in reputed colleges and the remaining had to settle for correspondence courses or had to go for some certificate or diploma courses. Students of our state are very good in studies, extra –curricular activities and are well aware of the happening across the country or globe. In spite of all the turmoil in the state as the result of the prevailing situation in the state, students are still not losing their hope to achieve their dreams. We need to give them support, encouragements, appreciation and proper guidance. Not only these, our teachers and education system should change their approach in giving marks or grading system. Our students are second to none but are still facing problems in getting admission after XIIth. Manipur Education Board and Council should encourage teachers to give marks according to what the students deserves. Every year thousands of Manipuri students couldn’t get admission due to low grade in Board/Council Exams. However, the situation is different for students studying in other boards like CBSE, ICSE. Does it mean that students studying in CBSE, ICSE are better than students of Manipur Board/Council? Take example of Manipuri students (not only Manipuri students) studying in Assam Valley School (CBSE) in Assam get admission in colleges easily as compare to students studying in schools of Manipur Board. The only difference is marks/percentage. Every year Manipuri students topped in colleges and university somewhere or the other across the country. We have several Gold medallists and toppers in every field of sciences, arts, engineering, medical and commerce. However, the number could be increased if all the talented students get proper education and this can be achieved if they get admission in good colleges and universities. Manipur Government/Education Departments should hold regular meetings and interaction programmes with teachers, officials of Board/Council and principals to address the situation and problems faced by the students of the state in getting admission for higher education. Encourage students to pursue higher education for better Manipur. Education will bring peace and development to the state.

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IMPHAL, June 7: The state government aims to complete the ongoing biometric data collection to facilitate the issue of the Unique Identity Number (Aadhaar) to all residents of the state by October this year. The state Planning department has been made the nodal department in the state for the project, wherein biometric data of the state populace is being collected after a MoU had been signed between the state and the Unique Identification Authority of India, (UIDAI) to facilitate the issue of Unique Identity Numbers in the state.According to a source, the UIDAI had also entered into a MoU with the Registered General of India (RGI) for collection of the biometric data during the National Population Registration (NPR) exercise, based on which the Aadhaar No. will be issued by the UIDAI to all residents enrolled.The source also maintained that the UIDAI has appointed the Bharat Electronic Ltd (BEL) as the enrollment agency and the collection of the biometric data has been undertaken through BEL vendors, Manitron, etc. The concerned Deputy Commissioners of all districts will also helped in the conduct of the exercise, the source further added. Meanwhile, it has been already notified recently that the state government has decided to use the Aadhaar No. as proof of address and identity proof for individuals during the implementation of central flagship and Central Sponsored Schemes (CSS).The source further mentioned that the state government has decided that KYR+ data (incorporating services and entitlement that could potentially be linked with Aadhaar number) shall be collected along with the biometric data by the enrolment agency, BEL and that a format for KYR plus data caption will be circulated by the Planning department in due course.Further, it is also officially instructed that DCs of each districts will assign a supervisor to assist collection of biometric data and maintaining a record as envisaged in the handbook of Aadhaar of UIDAI.In the meantime, according to an official notification issued by the special secretary Planning government of Manipur Sajad Hassan, the DCs should also carry out awareness campaigns in their respective districts regarding the exercise. They will provide BPL list and maintain record of BPL beneficiaries of MNREGS/NOAP/PDS/RSBY/JSY, etc. enrolled during biometric data collection as well as provide incentives/create facilities to BPL beneficiaries of welfare schemes, so that cost of enrolment of BPL individuals at the enrolment centre nearest to them is reduced. These data shall be furnished to the state level implementation of UID Committee/Planning department, and it is also mentioned that the state planning department should provide the DCs with IEC materials as well as funds (provided under 13th Finance Commission Award) as incentive to attract BPL residents, the official notification added.

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Leader Writer: Sukham Nanda
The State Vigilance Commission, Manipur was set up with an objectives to ensure partial and clean administrations in every departments of the state. Its scope however extend to matters within the executive jurisdiction of the State Government, investigation and enquiries into corruption and misconduct of public servants as laid in the Resolution for setting up the Vigilance Commission.

The responsibility of Vigilance rests primarily on the department concerned. It is for the heads of the department to identify corrupt element in their organizations and deal with them firmly, besides to assist the head of departments to identify corrupt element, a Vigilance unit each headed by an ex-Officio Vigilance officer at the Secretariat and Head of department level had set up in every Government office with the recommendation of the State Vigilance Commission to ensure that employee maintains utmost honesty and integrity and to identify corrupt elements in the department, to keep a watch on the activities of the employees suspected of corruption, malpractice or misconduct and also to initiate prompt action and persue all cases, where there are reasonable ground for suspicion or where corrupt, malpractice or misconduct exists.

In fact, the role of the Commission undertakes general check and supervision over all vigilance and anti-corruption works in the state. It causes investigation to be made into any act of the public servant involving corruption, lack of integrity, misdemeanour, misconduct or malpractice. On receipt of the investigation report and after examination, the Commission advises the disciplinary authorities about the type of proceedings, if any, to be initiated. In the cases where the Commissioner, Departmental Enquiries is appointed as Inquiry Officer by the state government, the report are submitted to the Village Commissioner. The Commission also advises the government whenever and wherever necessary about improvement in procedures and practices.

No error has seen in framing the rules regulations of the commission and commission on the other hand taken up multiple numbers of cases as it has been witnessed during this last few years that some improvement in response of the Administrative Department to reference from the Commission and departments have to play a more effective role in starting departmental enquiries on the recommendations of the commission, and in ensuring that the departmental enquiries are completed deditiously and guilty officials need to be punished promptly.

Officially or unofficially it has known that the normal functioning of the state Vigilance Commission in terms of case hearing involving high ranking officers of the department were quite oftenly interfere in the forms of directions / commands from the external elements and even from the ministers and MLA, which causes delaying in the disposal of the case or kept the case pending for more than four five years.

Even though there is State Vigilance department to investigate the cases related to the corruptions and malpractices etc. in very government departments of the state and the Commission is there to conduct enquires of the reported cases but the increasing trends of corruptions, malpractices, lack of integrity and misconducts in various major government departments are still witnessed. This shows that no practice prevalent for surprise check on offices, on works undertaken except by the Audit and it is felt that the government should introduce an effective system of annual inspection to detect long pending cases, as also to find out malpractices, exercise or non-exercise of power for improper or corrupt purposes etc.so that the importance of the existence of state Vigilance department and constitution of the state Vigilance Commission could be achieved in the state.

Thus it is very much require to strengthen the powers and functions of state Vigilance Department by deputing adequate manpower and letting the state Vigilance Commission to conduct its enquiries independently by preventing back-door interferences from the outside elements so that the objective of maintaining partial and clean administrations in every government departments could be restored to some extend in future to come.

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DIMAPUR, June 12( Newmai News Network): The All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) today decided to accept the request of Nagaland University Vice Chancellor Professor K. Kannan for some more time to declare the undergraduate results. The student body has, therefore, relaxed the indefinite agitation which it began on Friday. 

The decision was taken during a meeting of the ANCSU officials held in Kohima today, the second day of the indefinite strike being carried out to protest against the failure of the University authority to declare the undergraduate results even after a lapse of 60 days as per the norms of UGC.

ANCSU officials said following the online declaration of BSc results today and also having received an official letter from the Vice Chancellor requesting extension of some more days for declaration of the BA results, the Union’s executive had a meeting and decided to relax the agitation. They, however, warned that they would resume their agitation and resort to own course of action if the Vice Chancellor fails to declare the results within the dates sought by him.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by ANCSU Assistant General Secretary Metsivikho Meyase informed that the Union had received a letter forwarded by the Governor’s Secretariat, with the wise intervention of the Governor of Nagaland, who is also the Chief Rector of Nagaland University, whereby the Vice Chancellor requested one more week to complete the evaluation of answer scripts and four days to declare the Arts stream results after moderation.

The Union, therefore, decided to relax the indefinite dharna. However, failing to comply in declaring the Arts Stream results within the stipulated time as requested by the Vice Chancellor, the Union shall resume further course of action, the release stated.

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Every profession has its moral codes, some written but most of the time unwritten. Journalism is no exception and indeed this is a question that has continued to haunt the profession since its inception. This is particularly so because journalism’s best practices also are determined by a notion of objectivity that would have the journalist be simple observers and reporters of events and not be their participants. The troubling question is, to what extent can this journalistic definition of objectivity, especially in situations of human tragedies, remain ethical. Two powerful images should put this argument in perspective. One is of a certain freelance photojournalist, Kevin Carter, who won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for photojournalism in 1994 for his photograph of a severely famished, virtually dying, Sudanese girl toddler crawling towards a UN food centre some distance away, during a famine in this conflict torn nation, even as a vulture stalked her as if ready to pounce on her if she drops dead. The picture was first published in the The New York Times and it shocked the entire world, so much so that this prestigious newspaper had to issue an unusual editorial comment in a subsequent edition that the girl did make it alive to the UN food centre and that Carter chased away the vulture before leaving the scene. But the scene, and probably his inadequate response to the human situation apart from his journalistic instinct of making headline news of the event, haunted him so much ever after that he went into a depression he never recovered from. According to his father he was often found crying alone inconsolably. Carter ultimately committed suicide the same year he won the coveted prize.

The second image conveys a totally different picture of journalistic responsibility. Seventy five years after his death near the summit of Mt. Everest, on May 1, 1999, George Leigh Mallory’s body was discovered during another one of numerous search expeditions spanning seven decades to find his, and his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine’s, bodies. Bad weather however prevented a closer examination of the body on the day. On May 16, two men in the expedition, Andy Politz and Thom Pollard, carrying with them a tent and some supplies, returned to the spot for a closer look after lasting out a bout of bad weather at the expedition base camp. Pollard, had writing assignments including numerous offers for a book at the time. The two had with them a metal detector to try and locate the camera that Mallory was known to have taken along, and Kodak Company was of the opinion that the exposed film in the camera still could be processed as it would be well preserved by the perennial subzero temperature, and because the film in it was black and white, hence less prone to chemical degeneration. When they came to the body, Pollard’s reaction was in his own words: “The sight of Mallory’s foot protruding from the end of the rocks was the most powerful and humbling site of my life. It brought tears to my eyes.”

Then the two proceeded about trying to detect Mallory’s camera. In the process, Pollard came face to face with Mallory. From Pollard’s description, the likeness of Mallory was well preserved with calm but closed eyes. He had a golf ball size wound in the forehead with two shards of bones protruding out of it confirming he died instantaneously when he fell. Then the thought occurred that Pollard had a camera with him. But on second thought, and in consultation with his expedition partner Andy Politz, they decided it would be wrong to take a picture of Mallory’s face, and so today the only picture of the dead legend’s face, a man who possibly reached the summit of Mt. Everest three decades before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay did but could not return to tell his tale, is what Pollard carried back in his memory. Politz did not even want to see the face and be burdened with the responsibility to tell what he saw. Here were two men who overcame the pulls of their careers and professional ambitions even at a moment they found the elixir to reach the pinnacle to keep within what they thought was the demand of human decency. But beyond the instant glory and material endorsements they would surely have received had they been less scrupulous, they earned something else. Respect and gratitude of the sane world, away from the maddening crowd of instant wealth and instant success seekers.

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In Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” a novel which traces the fortune of a Pashtoon family in the backdrop of war ravaged Afghanistan, the protagonist Amir Jan whose talent as a creative writer began showing early in his boyhood, in his first attempt at writing a story as a schoolboy, thinks of a situation in which a man who was blessed that his tears would become pearls, kills his beloved wife so that his sadness would make him weep endlessly and thus reap a harvest of pearls. In the end the man is indeed found sitting on a mound of pearls, obviously richer than he imagined he could ever be, with wealth he cannot hope to use in a lifetime, but profoundly sad and lonely than he ever was. The budding sense of irony, a vital ingredient of any good story teller was unmistakable, and the boy after the war at home made him a refugee in America is to become a successful writer. He would also then return to Afghanistan to atone for a deep sense of guilt at having betrayed his boyhood friend, someone who never ever failed to stand by him through thick and thin, and who eventually turned out to be a half brother, born of a servant’s wife his father had a sexual relations with.

The child imagination, undoubtedly informed by the turmoil at home and fanatical insistence with which the Taliban were self-inflicting endless and meaningless injuries on Afghanistan, in what they called would ultimate be the deliverance of Afghanistan through “the path of God”, was telling in many ways. It spoke of skewed values and aspirations, ones that have slowly but surely been divested from essential humanity by consistent abuse of individual dignity by the fanaticism all around, and the impossible living conditions in the country at the time. What is important for us is the question, is Manipur heading the same direction? From evidences all around us, it does seem to be so. The all pervading violence has gone far beyond sane limits. Even when there is no overt mayhem, the undercurrents still spell nothing but violence. Nobody is free to be himself or herself. The uneasy and uncanny sense of being watched and monitored has come to intimidate practically everybody into not just silence, but also to be zombies with no independent will. They act as they believe they are expected to only. They also are increasingly, though unconsciously, being forced into shrinking into their individual shells. Look at the current state of home architecture for instance. Walk into any middleclass home in Imphal and what would be noticed is a disturbing sense of insecurity the ordinary citizenry are suffering from. With the exception of a few, most live in homes that resemble a jail, with iron gratings on the portico and every other possible places intruders could barge in from; windows are fortified with sturdy iron bars etc. As a thumb rule, the richer the owner of the house, the more would be the unflattering resemblance his house has to a jail. Those who can afford it would for instance gift themselves with 12-feet or more high retaining walls all around their homesteads. Steel fortified gates which are always kept tightly shut would also greet visitors to these homes. Probably most would say this is the need of the hour for the times are bad. But what most far too often fail to question is, what would be the psychology of children growing up in such an oppressive atmosphere. Undoubtedly their minds and aspirations would also have been skewed as Amir Jan’s. Redemption from such a state of mind would also undoubtedly not be easy. Amir Jan found his, but the unasked question is how many other of his peers would not have.

When will Manipur ever become an open society “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high”? A lot of commitment from all sane thinkers of our society is essential for this to come about, and it is time they all began thinking the situation is desperate. Otherwise, the spiral of insanity that the society is plunging into would touch a critical point of no return. The values of our society are already distorted monstrously and nothing absolutely nothing remains as sacrosanct space revered by all. It is not a surprise at all that recent news report in local dailies announced there has been a sharp rise in mental illness in the state in recent years. The situation must not be allowed to sink any further, lest whatever sanity which managed to survive too would be gone, and like in Amir Jan’s story, in the hunt for false notions of achievements and success, people begin to sell even their own souls as well as those of their near and dear ones.

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